But he only made six Premier League starts as Forest went through four managers and finished 16th in the table last season. In total, he made 24 appearances and contributed two assists but did not score a goal.
Lille finished third in Ligue 1 last season, securing Champions League football for 2026-27.
Nottingham Forest 0-2 Leeds - the fans' verdictpublished at 12:42 BST 26 August
12:42 BST 26 August
Image source, Getty Images
We asked for your thoughts after Tuesday's Carabao Cup second-round game between Nottingham Forest and Leeds United.
Here are some of your comments:
Forest fans
Ian: A much worse performance than Saturday's, I'm not sure Liam Delap will solve the problem. Not pretty to watch, no identity, lack of ideas, feels like a rebuild is needed rather than tweaking.
Graham: Nothing positive to come from last night, that was plainly obvious. Wood, Ousmane Diomande, Dan Ndoye, Xaver Schlager and James McAtee are not good enough. Oliver Glasner's tactics don't suit the players. We were too narrow and no bite up front.
David: The smiles have gone and the tactics of passing back, passing back and passing back to Matz Sels, before he boots it to the centre circle where our lone striker is outnumbered and no one else is there to fight for the second ball is simply not good enough.
Andrew: The worst Forest performance in over a year. Clueless players with little idea of what the playing plan should be.
Leeds fans
Bryan: The sleeping giant is starting to wake up. Never get enough credit from the pundits or press. This is great, they are creeping under the radar and will surprise all the experts this season. Will be classed as one of the strongest in defence in the Premier League and once they sign another striker, watch out top six, one of you will be losing your place.
Peter: This Leeds side could be really good with just a couple of quality additions in the forward areas as they are so wasteful. Dan James created so much and the players around him didn't anticipate his crosses.
Ali: Solid performances against Forest, but let's not get carried away. Still light in a number of areas (striker, left-back, winger, goalkeeper and attacking midfield) and these need reinforcing to be productive over a long season.
Alan: Excellent defensive display, the attack needs to sharpen up, James Justin's goal is a great advert to scrap VAR, in the league it would have been disallowed. Yet again, there is a great buzz around the club, but it's early days. Let's not get carried away.
Why has Delap's value increased?published at 10:54 BST 26 August
10:54 BST 26 August
Image source, Getty Images
Dave: Why is Liam Delap worth £20m more now than one year ago after a dreadful season, is this just down to inflation of fees?
It's a fair point that there may be some inflationary impact on this. However, it will be a small one.
The main reason is that Chelsea's £30m deal to sign Liam Delap from Ipswich last summer was widely regarded as being below market value.
That was due to the relegation release clause in his contract being active last summer, and Delap was arguably a £45m to £50m player at the time.
Some might argue Chelsea received a good fee, given Delap scored only one Premier League goal last season. Again, that is subjective and depends on whether you believe he can rediscover his best form at Nottingham Forest this season.
Nottingham Forest 0-2 Leeds: What Glasner saidpublished at 23:09 BST 25 August
23:09 BST 25 August
Media caption,
Nottingham Forest boss Oliver Glasner, speaking to BBC Radio Nottingham: "Tough, tough night. Tough defeat. Of course, a start where we that we wished differently but on the other side and this is what we have to accept. It's the reality where we are right now. If you lose both games against Leeds in three days, we have to accept they were better.
"They are together now two or three years and are adding one or two or three players and this is what we could see. It's much more stability in the team, whereas we were struggling in a few moments today. We made too many mistakes. It was really playing with the pressure, we knew but we took many wrong decisions and gave them the chances."
Forest 'have got a long way to go'published at 22:08 BST 25 August
22:08 BST 25 August
Image source, Getty Images
Former Nottingham Forest defender Brian Laws on BBC Radio 5 Live said: "Nottingham Forest have got a long way to go to get things right here. There's a lot of things not right at the moment, they lack ideas, cohesion and the ability to pass to one another consistently.
"There's a lot of things wrong tonight that Oliver Glasner will not be happy about because that is not good enough. Leeds have come here on two occasions and been comfortable, they haven't had to work hard at it. Forest have to take accountability for that."
Nottingham Forest 0-2 Leeds United - send us your thoughtspublished at 21:55 BST 25 August
21:55 BST 25 August
Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.
You can also listen to today's 5 Live commentaries on your smart speaker. Just say "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play Birmingham City v Brentford" or "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play the Nottingham Forest match", for example.
How did Glasner fare on his Forest managerial debut?published at 16:47 BST 25 August
16:47 BST 25 August
Image source, Getty Images
Premier League history was made before a ball was even kicked this season as a record nine clubs started the campaign with new managers.
Former Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner got his first taste of action as Nottingham Forest head coach after succeeding sacked Vitor Pereira.
So how did he fare on an eventful first weekend of the 2026-27 campaign?
A poor start for the Austrian, who brought FA Cup and Europa League success to Crystal Palace, losing 1-0 to a late Leeds United goal at the City Ground.
Glasner claimed he cannot simply lay hands on players and they perform like "Real Madrid in the 70s", but this still was an unsatisfactory opening as he tries to bring stability and success to Nottingham Forest - and their demanding owner Evangelos Marinakis - after four managers were in charge last season.
He had no new signings in his starting line-up, with eight players from Nuno Espirito Santo's team in their opening-day win over Brentford last season featuring, although it looks like striker Liam Delap might arrive from Chelsea.
Every Forest manager needs wins - and very quickly - so to make a losing introduction was a real blow for Glasner.
Scott: Yes, we need a striker. Chris Wood will struggle to play 20 games this season with his knee. Igor Jesus still needs to prove his worth, and so does Arnaud Kalimuendo. But Delap isn't worth £50m. It would have to be less with add-ons until he proves his worth.
Mark: We absolutely need another striker as none of the ones we have are prolific or deadly in front of goal. Unfortunately, Delap also isn't. However, the real issue is that we don't get the ball into the box frequently enough and chances are always at a premium. Wish I had a solution to offer.
Nick: Don't care what number Delap uses, we just need someone who can score. If he can recapture his Ipswich form, he could be a good option. Let's be honest, if he comes and doesn't perform, he's not going to be around for long.
Kris: Honestly, this looks like a panic buy. I'm not impressed with the transfer business again - too slow, too ponderous and overseen by someone else who appears out of his depth. What would Delap add? Goals? Probably not given his record. Disappointing really.
Nicholas: This would be a great move for both parties. His style of play would work well in Forest's system and he would have an opportunity to play more. Wood is getting on, Jesus isn't really a striker and Kalimuendo is still an unknown quantity at this level.
Rob: Yes, Forest need a striker - and others. James McAtee will not replace Elliot Anderson. Wing-back cover is needed with the new formation. We have a glut of wide forwards who probably wouldn't make great cover for the wing-backs.